Not Over Yet
by JesSilver106
Summary: *SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON* Pietro and Wanda Maximoff were not the only ones to have been taken by Strucker, or to help in the battle at Sokovia. Madeleine Baton may have sided with SHIELD in the battle but now she wants nothing more than to leave with Pietro and Wanda and get away from SHIELD yet it seems that the battle is not over yet for the two of them.
1. Chapter 1

I sat up quickly, my head roaring from the sudden movement. I looked around the room, taking in the monitors (which were off), a table to the left of the bed, a tiny bathroom to right. My heart raced as I tried to understand where I was. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, trying to think. Slowly, I thought sorted through my life; my name: Madeleine Baton, my parents: dead and not missed, their work: my bane. Strucker: kidnapper and enemy, Wanda: the closest thing I had to a friend, Pietro: the only person who had ever... No I refused to finish the thought and moved on. The battle and the Avengers came into focus, Ultron, the stabbing in my leg, then, while my vision slowly filled with spots... Pietro. The sound of machine gun bright blood blooming like sick flowers over his body... I exhaled sharply, and opened my eyes, fear like none other filling my heart. A young woman stood before me, watching me cautiously.

"Are you alright? I'm Dr. Cho. You've been un-conscience for about thirty-six hours because of a serious concussion to your frontal lobe." She came over and removed my blanket, revealing my left leg to be bandaged. The woman gently ran her hand over it saying, "You were shot through your left leg, less than a centimeter from shattering the femur; you wouldn't have been able to walk again. We removed the bullet and you should be okay, but-"

"Pietro?" I had been struggling to talk and I finally could croak out his name.

Dr. Cho watched at me carefully. She looked away and sighed. My throat stuck and could barely breath. But she turned back and stared me straight in the eyes. "He'll live."

I fell back onto my pillows in relief.

"But barely. After Mr. Stark received the cradle and created the Vision, he had the cradle's blueprints downloaded to his personal system. He was able to recreate it on short notice. We were able to remove the bullets from Mr. Maximoff and place him in the cradle. Your Pietro is one strong man. If it weren't for his will to live and Mr. Stark's quick work, we would have lost him."

My eyes were closed and her words barely registered. I didn't care if Stark saved him or not, all that mattered was that Pietro was alive. Despite me blatantly ignoring her, the doctor was still talking.

"But back to you. You have several severe slashes on your abdomen, but we were able to use the cradle and heal you right up. Your leg will need rest, as the cradle could not stitch you up. Also, your head will be bothering you for quite sometime. Director Fury is requesting a physical examination along with some psych sessions. SHIELD may get some odd types, but you're something new."

She gave me an appraising look, like being a freak was something she was jealous of. I met her gaze with one of my own, a look of sullenness: what I had was not a gift but a curse; I didn't appreciate her sugar-coating. She looked away first.

"When can I see Pietro?" I asked, turning away also.

"He hasn't yet woken up. His vitals are steady, but please remember Ms. Baton, he should be dead." I was turned away, but I could feel her watching me. "I'll send in some breakfast and a change of clothes. Director Fury wants to debrief you immediately." She walked to the door, but turned back before leaving. "Ms. Baton?" Her pause made me turn to look. "You're safe here. From what I know about you, that has never been true before. But SHIELD is... You can trust us." She turned and left quietly shutting the door behind her.

Breakfast arrived a few minutes later, long enough for me to have gotten bored and tried to walk around, nearly breaking one of the monitors in my attempt to walk on the crutches that had been leaning against my bedside table.

The nurse delivering the food was a small, petite woman, with auburn hair and a baby face. She set my meal on a table that swung around over my lap. She set a change of clothes on a chair, and noting one of the monitor's shifted position and my crutches (which I had thrown to the floor in anger), asked if I needed a wheelchair. As much as I hated the idea of having to use the infernal crutches, a wheelchair would just be plain embarrassing. I ate my oatmeal and slipped into my clothes, a matching grey shirt and pants with the SHIELD logo printed where a pocket would go on the shirt. I rolled up my sleeves and hobbled over to the bathroom, splashing water on my face. I had just finished drying my face when a knock o the door sounded. "Come in!" I called, hastening out of the tiny room. A pale-looking kid stood nervously in the doorway.

"Um, you're supposed to come with me to see the director." I sighed and grabbed my crutches from the floor, struggling to kneel and stand. I followed him out of my room, down a

hall, to an elevator. After riding it to the lobby, we walked out of the hospital and across a courtyard to a building labeled with a giant "A". Another elevator later, we stood before a frosted door with the word "Director" in black lettering.

The kid knocked and deep voice told him to come in. We walked through the door and I was met by a large, African American guy standing between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.

"Madeleine Baton. My name is Nick Fury. I know you have met Mr. Stark and Captain

Rogers." Fury gave me the once over, then motioned that I sit. I did as did the three of them,

Fury across from me and Steve and Tony on the couch to the side.

"Do you know why you're here?" He asked piercing me with his gaze.

I nodded, holding my tongue.

"Good, because you have to be debriefed while everything is still fresh in your mind. Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers are here to verify your story." He looked at me steadily, and said, "So tell me about battle at Sokovia."


	2. Chapter 2

I took a deep breath, and launched into my side of the story about the battle at Sokovia. "It started with Strucker's… program. I don't know what it was all about." Fury gave me skeptical look. "I don't care what you think you know, it's probably wrong." I told him, not caring how disrespectful I sounded. "I was there, and no one ever said a thing in front of me. I doubt any of the guards knew much, if anything at all, either. Anyway, Strucker had all these experiments and tests narrowing down the specially gifted from the psychos, and picking out the best "recruits". It was just me, Pietro, and Wanda and we were being trained daily. Fighting and defense and controlling our abilities and such. That's really all I know about Strucker's project. Like I said he had a tight-lipped crew." I looked up and saw Fury nodding.

"I figured as much," he said. "Ms. Maximoff said about the same thing. But that still doesn't explain where you were before the battle and why you did not come forward earlier to help."

"I… wasn't exactly the most obedient recruit. I had just been sent to solitary confinement when this whole problem started," I paused, seeing Fury doubtful look.

"You expect me to believe that you were locked away and heard nothing about the siege of your boss's destruction raging on around you?"

"This wasn't some little cell, okay? I was seventeen floors underground with handcuffs, ankle cuffs, and a gag, all of which had a special technology that would flood sea water through my cell if I dared to try a talk, move, et cetera. Do you know what happens when someone with my abilities interacts with salt water, Director? Nothing good," I leaned back in my chair, satisfied.

"Actually," Fury interjected, "I have never heard from you what your "abilities" just exactly are?"

I swallowed, suddenly nervous. "I can… I mean I have… this." I spread my arms wide and flexed my hands. A wave of electricity visibly washed down my arms and webbed between my fingers. I glanced over at Tony to see his look; he was like a kid on Christmas morning. I flicked my wrist at the wall, accidentally hitting a framed picture of a sunset. Tony began muttering about electromagnetic force and the electric field or something and I knew he would be dying to get to the bottom of my powers. I winced, turning to Fury. "Sorry for the picture. I wasn't aiming, I promise."

Fury shrugged, "I wasn't that invested in it anyway. I'm more interested just _how_ you can do that."

I swallowed. As cliché as it sounds I had trouble talking about my past. Steve was watching me carefully and before I could respond he interjected, saying, "I think that can wait, Director. Madeleine, why don't you tell us how you knew about and got to the battle at Sokovia?"

I nodded, hoping my face showed my thankfulness for the change of subject. "Even after you all brought down Strucker, you hadn't found out about the Maximoffs, who knew where I was. So after you all left, they came down to free me, and took down a couple of guards. We were trying to decide what to do next. They still wanted to exact vengeance on Mr. Stark, but I was more interested in getting out of there. While we all excelled in Strucker's tests, they had volunteered; I was "chosen". We had just decided to wait to see what would happen with the Earth's mightiest heroes when Ultron showed up. Wanda and Pietro were willing to work with him; they thought that perhaps they were all after the same thing. I, on the other hand, was not. This may sound bad, but I don't care about peace. There never will be peace; in my opinion it is a frivolous idea presented by those whose lives are perfect who just want to help those whose lives suck and usually the people with the sucky lives end up hurt. So when Ultron came along preaching world peace, I got as far away from him as possible."

"Wait, so you didn't try and stop him?" Steve asked, incredulous.

I shrugged. "I'm not like you. I'm not a hero. I'm not about saving others I'm about self-preservation. It sounds bad but who's going to take care of me, if not me?"

Steve looked kind of stunned but I truly didn't care. I watched my own back and I had made no alliances until Pietro and Wanda came along, and I got by fine. "Anyway, when I refused to help Ultron I knew I was in trouble. I got out of there as fast as I could, but some townsperson gave me away. I got captured and was stuck back in Sokovia."

"Why didn't the twins help you get out?" Fury asked.

"They were under some serious surveillance for a while. They couldn't break me out until the chaos of the battle started. After that, I just fought. I may not be for peace, but I'm not for the mindless genocide of the world either, especially when I live on it. I was shot while helping Wanda protect that device. I left her because I saw a kid in the rubble and needed to get her to the carriers. It was when I was running to the carriers that my leg got broken. I think. It gets a little blurry. All I know for sure was that I reached the kid, got it to the carrier then went back to get Wanda before the city dropped."

Fury nodded. "That matches the others' accounts. We still need to talk about you powers but it can wait. You can head back to your hospital room; you remember the way, yes?" I nodded and got up to leave but before I could reach the door, Fury called out. "And Ms. Baton?" I turned around. "Ms. Maximoff is requesting your presence. Room 513."

I was too impatient for the elevator and took the stairs two at a time.

I opened the door without knocking and came in to see Wanda sitting up on her bed. Agent Natasha Romanoff was sitting by her side but got up to leave when I came in. I nodded at her as she left, then turned to Wanda, happy to finally see a familiar face.

"Hey… How are you feeling?" I asked my voice soft.

Wanda scoffed. "I'm not an invalid you can quit with the dying relative voice." I half-smiled; her joke was a little too close to the truth for me to laugh.

"So… did you hear about Pietro?" I asked, sitting down in the chair Romanoff had vacated.

"Yeah. I…" Her voice trailed off and I could tell she was reliving the moment when Pietro was shot. Bile rose to my own throat as I remembered the bullets punching into his body. Wanda continued. "We're all we had since we were kids and when I saw him get shot I couldn't… I owe everything to SHIELD now." I nodded; she was right, but I didn't have to like it.

"I don't like trusting them, Wanda. I get they claim to be good but Tony Stark, the Tony Stark who killed your parents, is also the reason we all almost died. I just want to get away from them."

"I know you don't but things aren't going to be like they were before Strucker. People know who we are and _what_ we are. SHIELD can protect us and help us."

I was silent. I didn't trust organizations like SHIELD. In my opinion, the bigger the organization the more corruption was possible and probable. Maybe I was paranoid, but not trusting places like SHIELD has kept me and Pietro and Wanda alive. Before I could say anything, though, a nurse came in, breathless.

"What? What is it? Is it Pietro?" Wanda immediately asked, and the steady beeping on the monitor became faster and louder. The nurse nodded breathless, and my heart quickened to match and exceed the pace of the monitor.

The nurse gasped for air, and choked out, "He's awake."


	3. Chapter 3

Wanda gasped, her face a mixture of joy and worry. I grabbed the nurse and practically screamed at her: "What's the floor and room?"

The nurse responded, looking alarmed, "Floor 7, room 11."

I jumped up and started to rush out the door while Wanda was still trying to sit up. I hurried back to help her into a wheelchair and pushed her, running, into the elevator. We each pushed the "close door" button about four times each, and the seven button at least eight times. The elevator moved so slowly. After what seemed like ages the elevator dinged at the seventh floor. We both ran down the hallway, nearly taking out a nurse in our rush. We stopped at his door, which was slightly ajar. There was a doctor standing before the bed, but we couldn't see Pietro with the door nearly closed. Wanda took a breath and looked at me. I wished she hadn't; I was so nervous with my breath was coming fast and my heart was beating faster than normal.

I looked down a Wanda in her chair and nodded at her, pushing open the door. The doctor (his name tag read Andrews) looked up at us and smiled.

"Ms. Maximoff and Ms. Baton! I was just giving Pietro an overview of his injuries and explaining what the next few weeks will look like," he said with a smile. All this passed over my head. I was watching Pietro, and his eyes were locked on mine. My breath came faster than ever and a smile crept onto my face. Wanda had already wheeled herself over to the bed, taken his hand, and buried her face in his shoulder. Having never had siblings, seeing their love made me smile even bigger.

"Hey," I breathed out my voice catching in my throat, making my voice akin to that of a twelve year old boy. Pietro smiled despite my voice crack.

"Hey."

I walked over and sat down next to him, trying to avoid looking at his chest at all. Despite the cradle's healing abilities I could still see bandages crisscrossing his wounds under his shirt. "How are you feeling?" I asked, apprehension creeping into my words and making my French accent even more pronounced.

He smiled wryly. "On that little numbered pain chart with the sad and happy faces that nurses keep shoving in my face?" I smiled and nodded. He made a mock contemplative face and said in total seriousness, "Six." I laughed, relieved to note that Pietro was still Pietro.

Wanda's older sister side was making an appearance; she was already interrogating Andrews, who still stood at the front of the bed. "When can he walk? How's he healing? Is he-"

"Ms. Maximoff I promise you, your brother is healing just fine. We will have to keep him here for quite a while, examination you know, and he has a serious concussion that will take some to heal. He should be walking in a couple of days, maybe a week. He's healing very well; if it weren't for Mr. Maximoff's will to live and Mr. Stark's work with the cradle, I'm not sure Pietro would still be here," he said gravely. I saw Wanda tense up, and felt Pietro do the same at Tony's name. It was obvious they still couldn't forgive Tony for what he did, and frankly I was still wary about all the Avengers.

Pietro glanced at me and smiled, making my heart flip in my chest and giving me goosebumps. "I've got a lot to live for, Doctor." I smiled shyly at him, and had to look away from those piercing blue eyes.

Andrews smiled at us and nodded, "I'm sure you do. Well, I'll leave you three to catch-up." He made his way to the door. "Oh, and ladies?" Wanda and I looked up. "Please do not keep Pietro up to long. He needs his rest."

"Wouldn't think of it Doctor," Wanda said with all sincerity. With their mother dead, Wanda had always taken care of Pietro, and I knew that seeing him this way, all bandaged and bruised, made her maternal instincts kick in. She turned to Pietro, and began to quiz him on how he was feeling.

"I'm fine Wanda, I promise."

"You are not fine. You've been unconscious for four days! Peitro… bratishka [little brother]… I was so worried. I saw you die." Wanda's eyes were glistening.

"I know Wanda. But I'm telling you, I'm okay." Pietro gently wiped away Wanda's tears and whispered something in Russian. Wanda clung to his hand, tears that were long overdue spilling down her cheeks. I knew they needed some time alone, and I could talk to Pietro some other time, so I got up to leave, grabbing a box of tissue and setting on Pietro's bedside table. He smiled at me appreciatively, then went back to quietly comforting Wanda.

I shut the door quietly behind me. I was going to head back to my room, but I didn't feel like sitting in bed again. Plus, I missed moving. I started walking briskly down the hall away from the elevator and after a few turns, found myself seriously lost. I stopped at a break in the hallway, considering my options, when a door down the hall opened, and out stepped Steve.

"Hey!" He quickly shut the door behind him and came over to talk. "What are you doing here?"

"I just got the word Pietro was awake and Wanda and I went over to see him." I leaned on the wall behind me. "What about you?"

"A friend of mine, one of the agents here, is pretty beat up. I try to make sure to check up on him every once in a while." He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned on the wall next to me. "If you're here to see Pietro, why aren't you with him?" He asked watching me carefully.

"Wanda's been pretty worried, obviously." He nodded sympathetically. "She kind of had a break down and I thought they could use some time alone."

"That's good of you. Are you busy right now?" He asked suddenly.

I shook my head. "I didn't feel like sitting in bed so I went for a walk and got my thoroughly lost."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Come with me." He took a left and I followed him down the maze-like hallways. "I guess you're itching to move then?" I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "Why don't we hit the mess hall, then head over to the training room. Maybe put those powers of yours to practice?"

"Works for me. I'm starving, and it feels like forever since I've had some exercise."

"I figured. The doctors are some of the best in the world, but sometimes resting is just so… boring." I laughed and nodded.

"I was trying to get some exercise, but I just succeeded in getting lost."

"That's okay. It took two weeks for me to find the way from my room to the cafeteria and back." We both laughed as we made our way down to the hall. "It was five weeks before I could navigate all the buildings; don't worry give it a month and you'll be able to make it around SHIELD like a pro." I was quiet at that. A month? Hopefully Wanda, Pietro, and I would be out of here by then.

Steve stopped and was looking at me. "You okay? You got really quiet all of a sudden."

I looked at him trying to decide if I could trust him. He was obviously a good guy. Sincere and gentlemanly. And it wasn't like he was anything like Tony Stark, despite their friendship. Still, I thought it would be best to keep my opinions of SHIELD to myself. "Yeah. It's just… I don't know. My only friends… the only people who I've been able to talk like this… I've only had Pietro and Wanda." Steve nodded quietly, thinking.

"I get that. You met me less than ten days ago. You were told I was your enemy. You were taught to hate me. And your closest friends, the closest thing you had to family, they mother and father were killed by a friend of mine. So you don't trust me. I get it." Steve smiled at me. "You don't have to. But you can. Come on, the caf is just down the hall." He placed his hand on the small of my back and gently led me down the hall.

We walked into a huge room, there were a few people at the tables, mostly eating quietly or reading. There were a few white circular tables with teal plastic chairs. There was a couple of fake potted plants dotted close to the wall. On the left side, the side facing away from the door there were large bay windows facing a campus green with cement benches and a few picnic tables. Another double doors were on the wall adjacent to our own. On the other wall next to our entrance there were glass cases covering empty places where food would have been placed, had it been a normal eating time. There were red plastic trays stacked on the end of a small ledge, and on the same end there were cups inset into the ledge with cutlery in them and a napkin holder. Set into the wall next to the glass cases were vending machines and fridges with fruit and chips and drinks and such. An average cafeteria, one that brought me back to the two years I went to elementary school. I looked up at Steve and found him watching me take in the room.

"You hungry?" He asked an amused smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah sorry. Force of habit. You know, take in the current location, observe threats, comprehend possible attacks, control the situation." I said as I followed him over to the vending machines and fridges.

"Where in the world did you learn that?" He said rooting around in his pockets and pulling forth some money.

"Ahh. Some things you don't forget," I said accepting the change he offered.

"So your oh-so-mysterious childhood?"

I shoved four quarters into the small slot. I considered my words before hitting F4. "Where I learned it matters less than why I learned it." I grabbed my granola bar from the bin and ripped it open.

"And why is that?" Steve handed me a Gatorade and a pack of Reese's Pieces.

I tore off a piece of granola and popped it in my mouth, giving myself time to chew before answering. I swallowed, and, after a moment of hesitation, said, "Because that is what one learns as the daughter of a control freak."

Steve nodded, chewing a bite of apple. He didn't say anything else, seeming to get the notice that I didn't feel like talking. "You mind if we eat on the way?" I shook my head, tossing my granola wrapper into the trashcan on the way out.

"So how are you liking SHIELD so far?" Steve asked, sipping some water from his bottle.

I ripped open the pack of Reese's Pieces and dumped a few into my hand, then tossed my head back, throwing them into my mouth. "I don't know, I'm grateful to them for saving me but..."

"But it's hard to trust someone when you never know anything about them?" Steve tossed his apple core in a nearby trashcan.

I nodded. "I'm not good at trusting people, even if they do tell me something."

We came to a door that opened up into a large room divided in two by a partial wall. On one side there were different sections, smaller rooms with walls of glass webbed with wires. On the other side there were a few punching bags in one corner and a weight room in the other. Steve led me over one of the rooms. There was a door made of glass and next to it, inlaid to the glass was a hand-shaped sensor and a touch-screen. Steve placed his hand on the hand-shaped sensor and the glass door popped open outward. "Go ahead in," he said. When I hesitated he gently pushed me into the room. "Just- it- it'll make more sense in a minute, don't worry." I stood in the middle of the small room, watching Steve push buttons and tap the touchscreen. "Okay," he called out. "Just relax and do what you can to defeat the orbs." I nodded, shifting on my feet.

Suddenly the clear walls melded into black and all light was gone from the little room. I looked around, my body automatically tensed up and shifted, preparing for a fight. I heard Steve call out: "Don't worry, I can hear and see you from the outside." I nodded; I wasn't worried, just getting ready. Suddenly, at the other end of the room there was a bright green bubble. It wasn't very large, but off it popped another one, then off of those two, two more and so one and so forth, until there were roughly a dozen of them. At that point, they all began to grow, from the size of ping-pong balls, to orbs the size of a basketball. Then, all at once, they began to fly at me, slamming into me with far more force than one could think the orbs would. When they hit me, there was a slight burn left there from their contact. The orbs made one wave at me, knocking me back against the wall, leaving my arms and legs covered in small, red streaks. As soon as they'd hit me, they flew to the other side of the room, leaving me sitting on the ground. I got up and once again steeled myself, beckoning the stupid orbs forward. "I am not getting beat up by some little green bubbles," I muttered angrily. As if they could hear me, they moved again as one and charged at me, but I was ready this time. I flexed my arms, and electricity rippled down them. I formed with my hands and circular sphere of dark red energy and flung it at one of the orbs. It erupted, sending smaller, darker green bubbles bouncing along the floor, then melting into the floor. The bubbles moved back, as if sensing their friend was hurt. I narrowed my eyes beckoning the orbs forward tauntingly. They rushed me again and this time I pulled my arms back then shoved my arms forward again, webs of electricity shot from my palms, obliterating at least half the orbs, with the smaller bubbles raining down to the floor. The other half charged my again, before I was ready, burning my arms again. That did nothing but fuel my anger and give me another burst of adrenaline. I crouched down, my hands inches from the floor. I prayed that the small wires that I had seen in the glass before were conductive. When they rushed me again, and slammed my hands onto the floor and the black walls flickered then fell away, returning back to glass. This time the bubbles didn't just shatter into smaller bubbles; they completely exploded, emitting huge bursts of light that lit up the entire gym with a greenish-white light.

I looked through the glass over where Steve was standing. He wasn't alone. Fury, Natasha, Steve, Stark, and a several agents were all staring at me with wide eyes. It was several seconds before anyone spoke, and when they did, it was only Tony. "Dude, I think she just broke my toy." Natasha laughed, saying, "This chick is awesome."


	4. Chapter 4

*****I am so sorry that I haven't posted lately. I will be unable to for three weeks bc I'm going away. Again I am so sorry about this.*****

I smiled shyly at their compliments, trying to find something to say. I pushed through the glass door and leaned against the wall. "Thanks."

Natasha punched me in the shoulder, her way of congratulating me. "So how do you even do that?"

"I don't know how to… explain it very well. I can take unspent energy in the room, and concentrate it into, uh, electrical… spheres of energy, like you saw," I said with a shrug.

Tony walked up, Steve following. "So, hon," Tony started, stopping when he saw my withering gaze. " _Madeline_ , how do you gather the energy such unspent energy from the room?"

"It comes from electrical plates that were implanted into my bones. It took some practice, but I can kind of pull the electrical currents in and, like I said, create a smaller, more powerful form from what would be considered useless energy. It's not really that complicated, just a matter of controlling the outside environment. Like I said, it took practice but…" I shrugged again.

"I don't care how much practice it took, you're awesome!" Some agent called to me while walking away. Another slapped my back and gave me a thumbs-up.

Natasha, Steve, and I continued talking; Steve and Natasha joking and talking comfortably, with me standing to the side, laughing awkwardly. They were at ease with each other in a way that I had never seen, and it made me almost… jealous of their friendship. I third-wheeled it with Pietro and Wanda and before that? I wasn't the most popular kid in my two months I attended school. My thoughts were interrupted by a nurse tapping me on the shoulder. "Yes?"

"Pietro Maximoff, on 7-11, is requesting your presence." I stood up from my relaxed position against the wall and took off. I stopped at the elevator and hit the up button while jumping up and down, my nerves and excitement warring for control. Nerves won the battle, my heart flipping and my palms sweating. I couldn't wait for the elevator so I darted over to the stairwell entrance and took the stairs, running as if the building were on fire. I hadn't realized that Steve and I had gone so far underground. I passed two doors labeled with negative numbers before finally reaching a door with a zero stamped on it in bright green. Despite being in good shape, I struggled to continue at the pace I had originally set for myself. I finally reached the seventh floor and leaned over, breathing hard from the run. I shoved the door open and jogged down the hall, glancing at the door numbers as I went. I reached door eleven and paused, wiping my hands on my pants and pulling my shirt up slightly to wipe off my face. I opened it slowly, and peeked in. Pietro was reading something, and it was obvious he was into it. His brow was furrowed and his eyes darted down the page; he was completely oblivious to me. I stood watching him for a second, a small smile making its way onto my face the way it always did when I was in his presence.

After about five minutes, I knocked on the door frame. He looked up, and his face broke into a smile. "Hey! Finally, what took you so long?" He set what I now saw as a case folder, on his bedside table. I moved over to his side to sit.

"I went as fast as I could. I took the stairs, like three at a time! I had to run up nine flights!" I exclaimed, trying to act angry but failing miserably.

"I appreciate your sacrifice." He reached up and placed a hand on my cheek, rubbing my jawbone tenderly. "I missed you. I wanted to talk."

I nodded. "It feels like forever. It's odd though; it was only a week or two ago."

"I wanted to talk earlier, but Wanda… she needed some time." He took my hand, circling the back of it with his thumb.

I nodded. "It's fine. I figured she needed to be with you. Steve and I went down to the training room. I was just finishing up when I got your call." At the mention of Steve, Pietro's eyes darkened slightly. "We're just friends, Pietro. Please don't get so worked up over nothing." He nodded, giving my hand a squeeze before kissing it. "So what did you need to talk about?"

He picked up the file he had been reading. "Read this. Tell me what you think." I skimmed the file.

 **Baton, Madeleine Angelina**

 **Age: 23 years**

 **DoB: 08/19/1992**

 **Father: Baton, Charles Oliver**

 **Mother: Matthys,** **Anastasia Colette**

 **Abilities: Able to conjure electricity and utilize in a concentrate form**

 **Pre-SHIELD Alliances: Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff**

 **Pre-SHIELD Contact w/ Criminals: Former volunteer for Baron von Strucker's program, assisted Ultron temporarily, other contacts are unknown**

 **SHIELD Assessment: Shows no respect for authority, misanthropic, did not work well with others in Battle of Sokovia, shows hostility towards SHIELD, uncooperative in questioning, stubborn, doubtful and untrusting of SHIELD, strong fighter, powerful ally**

 **Past: Unknown**

 **Personal Note: Trusting her is a risk I think is necessary to take.**

 **x** **Bernardiat Cumberlatch**

I glanced up at Pietro wondering why he showed me this, and how did he get his hands on it? "So… this is it?"

"Yeah. What do you think?" He took the file from me and began reading parts aloud. "'Hostility towards SHIELD, stubborn, doubtful…'"

"Well, they're not wrong." Something wasn't right here, though. Pietro, noticing my confused face, asked me what was up. "I don't remember being questioned... I mean there was a debriefing with Fury, but no one was, like taking notes or anything. It was just about my participation during the battle, what I had to do with Strucker's experiments, just generic stuff, nothing like this." I shook my head. "They shouldn't have stuff like this. I never said any of this. Where'd you get it anyway?"

"Clint came to see how I was doing and handed me your file, said I might want to see this. You're sure you never told them this stuff?"

"Yes. I'd remember. Where'd he get this from, though? And what about you and Wanda? Do they have files on you both, too?"

Pietro shook his head. "I don't know where he got it from, but he said he'd get me Wanda and mine, too. When he comes back I'll ask him."

I nodded. I didn't like this. I voiced my thoughts from the last couple of days to Pietro. "I don't like SHIELD. I know they think they're doing what's good and right, and that you can't bring peace without war, but what's the difference between Strucker and them? Or even Ultron? And this…" I took the manila folder back and waved it in the air. "This only solidifies my doubts about them. There should is no way they learned this from me. And I know you and Wanda wouldn't tell them anything, so where did they get this? Something's not right here."

Pietro shrugged. "I'm with you. Any organization trying to force peace, isn't very peaceful. And you're right, Wanda and I would never tell them about you, but maybe they gathered info from somewhere else? They're pretty big; I wouldn't doubt they have outside sources. I'm not saying we dismiss this; while it's, um, truthful, it's definitely a red flag. But maybe it's better if we lay low. You say what that person said, they could grow to trust us. I don't think we'll get anywhere if they think they have to watch our every move; they'll keep us in the dark and we won't ever figure this out. So while you are right, I think our best move is to make them think we're on their side."

He was right. We both knew it. It didn't make it any better, though. "Fine. You've told Wanda about this, I assume?"

Pietro smirked at me, making my heart flip in my chest and the color rise to my cheeks. That only made him smirk more. "No. I thought you'd like to see it first." He leaned over and kissed me, gently, on the lips. I kissed him back, his lips smooth but chapped. He kissed me harder, locking his lips with mine. Just then the door flew open and we broke apart. He quickly wiped off his mouth, while I looked the other way.

Clint leaned in the doorway, as I had earlier, but with a knowing, half-smile on his face. "Please, don't stop on my account." He walked in, pulling the chair on the other side of the room the foot of the bed, where he sat on it backwards. He held up two more manila folders, the tabs each marked with a bold **Maximoff**. "I'm good. Like, I underestimate myself. I know I'm good, but I couldn't have said I was this good."

I rolled my eyes. "When you're done congratulating yourself, tell me."

"Will you two be making out in the meantime?"

"Touché. What've you got?"

"Just wait a sec. I called your sister up to see hers." He nodded to Pietro. "She should be here soon enough." The three of us sat in an awkward silence, Clint glancing back and forth from me to Pietro, obviously enjoying the atmosphere he had created. After what seemed like a lifetime, Wanda wheeled herself in.

"Thank God!" Pietro exclaimed, voicing my own thoughts.

"What's up?" Wanda asked, addressing the question at Pietro, but looking at the folders now in Clint's lap.

Clint handed her her folder, saying, "I thought you'd like to take a look at this." Wanda began reading, while wheeling over to the bed with one hand.

"How did you…" She began, but Clint cut her off.

"Don't ask. Just read."

Pietro glanced up from his file. "You've read this I'm assuming?"

Clint nodded. "I felt it was a just finder's fee. Believe me, I was as surprised as you are."

I couldn't help it. "What? What's in there?"

Wanda's eyes were big as she flipped the pages (there were a lot more in their folders). "Everything." She breathed out.


	5. Chapter 5

***Guys I am so sorry for not updating I've been overseas for vacation; this chapter is extra long to compensate. Also, in one of my chapters, I said Wanda was older; I fix that in this chapter. Finally, Madeleine's superhero name is pronounced lee-air-a (kinda). There will be a back story with it later ;)***

I looked back and forth between Wanda and Pietro, trying to understand what she meant, but both of them were still nose deep in their files. I turned to Clint, "What does she mean "everything"?" He shook his head

"They'll tell you when they're ready." I got up and paced the room while the twins were still oblivious to my impatience. Clint sat, watching the two of them, and after a few minutes I joined him. I could see panic in Wanda's eyes; her breath came shallow and fear began to creep in. But when I looked at Pietro, I could see only anger. His fists were clenching the paper now, and his jaw was hard and set. Slowly, Wanda turned her last page and sat up, her eyes glistening. I held my tongue, waiting for her to say something.

"How?" She addressed this to Clint. Pietro, too, had just finished, and he looked accusingly at Clint. Again, Wanda asked, "How? How do they know this? This is everything! We did not even know some of this! And yet they do?! And have file on it?!" Her accent was more pronounced and her voice rose as she spoke.

Clint was shaking his head. "First off, let's get something straight. If you to don't keep quiet, someone will come check it out. And when they do, I will be out that window-" He pointed to the window. "-Faster then you can move."

At this, Pietro shook his head, but whispered, "Only because it's a bad day."

Tired of waiting to understand, I opened my hand to Pietro, and he placed the folder in my hand, giving it a look of disgust. I flipped it open hurriedly to the second page (the first was just name and family and whatnot), and began glancing through.

TOP SECRET

Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver- Specially Gifted- Speed

• History:

Parents deceased due to bombing. One younger twin sister (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch; Case Folder 278). After parents death,the Maximoff twins became allies with Madeleine Baton/Lueura (Case Folder 425*). As young children, they kept away from the government and eluded SHIELD's attempts to assist them. They broke into the French and Russian records room to destroy their files. They stole and destroyed several documents concerning their actions and any attempts to document their actions, whereabouts, or any other information about the trio, despite the utmost precaution of the governments, were promptly destroyed. SHIELD holds the most information about the trio as of yet. The three volunteered for Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker's (Case Folder 675) experiments of specially gifted children. It was found during these experiments that the Maximoff children had X gene. Von Strucker believed as we do, the twins had a special gifted parent, most likely the father. As to who this would be, it is still unknown. Von Strucker also discovered Ms. Baton's abilities (electromagnetic concentration). This was not a natural gene but a created ability that has not yet been understood. These three assisted Von Strucker against SHIELD and the Avengers, as well as Ultron before his plans were fully understood. Despite this, the Maximoff twins, along with Ms. Baton worked alongside the Avengers and SHIELD in their effort to bring down Ultron and save the people of Sokovia in the Battle of Sokovia. Mr. Maximoff gave his life in his efforts to save a civilian and Agent Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Case Folder 294). Thanks to Tony Stark/Iron Man (Case Folder 396) and Doctor Helen Cho, Mr. Maximoff was saved through the healing factors of Doctor Helen Cho's device the Cradle (Case Folder 411) and Mr. Stark's recreation of said device.

I sat back in my chair, shocked. It may not seem like much, but the three of us, when we were young (and even now, to be honest) had thought ourselves pretty clever to keep away of the government and organizations like SHIELD. We thought we were hidden, thought we were forgotten and lost and we loved it. And now… And how did they know about all this? About the destroyed records? The vandalism? I almost laughed out loud; we had thought we were inconspicuous and oh-so-smart evading the governments like we did and here was a folder full of our actions. Not only were we horribly wrong, the government did know about us, but SHIELD had info on us. They knew all about us! And what was with the asterisk by my case folder number? Was that meaningful? It had to be. Suddenly, I sat up in a panic. I turned to Clint, who was still sitting at the end of Pietro's bed. "Is there anything else on me?! Is that all you could find on me? What you already showed me?"

Clint gave me an odd look and nodded. But I could tell there was more; something had dawned on him.

"What? What is it?" My heart started beating double-time, while palms began to sweat.

"Aww crap," Clint rubbed a hand over his face. "There is one thing. It's doubtful but… There's a rumor about a cabinet. The older agents tease the rookies about it. They say Fury and Hill keep a list of all the rookies and their family's and private records and whatnot. Essentially, if you ever did anything stupid or wrong, ever failed a test, trespassed, or wrote on Walmart's bathroom stall, it'd be there."

"Last time I checked, I'm not an agent. What's this got to do with me?"

"It's not actually a cabinet full of stupidity performed by the younger agents. Nat's… Ugh she's gonna kill me for this- Nat's been through it. She hacked in once on a bet," I gave him a disgusted look. "Hey! I'm not the one in practically tears because SHIELD knows about my youth! And Natasha had her reasons for doing what she did. You wouldn't get it and even if you did, it's not your place to know or my place to say. Anyway, she told me that there was some folders in there about specials who SHIELD found dangerous or was trying to keep an eye on. Now I'm not saying you were in there; she didn't give me names, just said there were some folders with a header of "Unidentifiable Specials".

I sat back hard into my seat. I may not be in there; the other folder could be all there was on me. The star could've been a typo or mean my folder just wasn't complete. But the sinking feeling in my gut said otherwise. I put my head in my hands. Pietro and Wanda had stayed silent the whole time, but now Pietro leaned in close. Normally, this would make my heart beat faster and make me a little woozy, but now, with all that was going on and me thinking about my past, I felt I was going to be sick.

"Mads, it's going to be okay, yeah? We'll figure this out." He placed his hand on my arm.

"You don't know that. SHILED knows. We know they know! They know about you and Wanda and everyone else on this planet! They know about everyone from others planets! So why wouldn't they know about me?" I exclaimed. I wasn't mad at him; he knew that. But everything, all the walls I put up to keep my past out were slowly cracking.

Clint cleared his throat and we three looked up at him. "Uh, if that was a reference to Asgard, technically it's another world… Just saying."

"They know about other worlds and we thought they wouldn't know about our stupid, childish stunts from a couple years ago!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up.

"That was not helpful," Wanda said to Clint, disapproval flashing in her eyes.

"I just though it'd be best when she met the warriors three not to offend them. Excuse me for caring."

"I have to get into those folders," I racked my brain for ideas.

Clint jumped up and grabbed my shoulders. "No! Now way! Nat could barely get in there and your still a kid!"

"I have to know."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I can not describe the frustration and headaches you here have given me in the past three weeks."

"So you'll help?"

"I'll talk to Nat. That's not helping. It barely taking action." I nodded, but couldn't help smiling slightly. Clint started for the door. "I'm not even really helping! It counts for nothing! I don't care about you!"

"Thank you!" I called after him, before turning back to Pietro and Wanda.

"Madeleine, they're going to know," Wanda said gently.

"No. Not necessarily. I just need to check," I protested.

"Wanda's right. Even if it is nothing, they will find out. You'll tell them, their figure it out somehow." Pietro took my hand, but I pulled away.

"If there is a file, I will destroy it. And if there's not, everything's in the clear. It's that simple."

"Let's not talk about this, yeah?" Wanda tossed her folder onto Pietro's bed, and he moved it to his bedside table.

I nodded. "Yeah. Okay. You know what, I'm a little tired anyway and you two need your rest, too, okay?" I walked to the door. "We'll talk again later."

I understood what they were saying. I did. But I didn't care; they knew about my life before they came along and I wasn't going to talk to sit around while SHIELD psycho-analyzed me. I set off down the hall back to my room. Hopefully Clint and Natasha would have something helpful soon.

Three weeks passed before I heard anything. I was let out of the hospital. They still would watch me; monthly checkups and the like, but I had a private apartment in another wing in SHIELD.

It was eleven o'clock at night and I couldn't sleep. I got out of bed, grabbed some sneakers, and put my hair up. I grabbed my telecuff, a SHIELD ordered watch-like thing that checked my pulse, steps, and answered calls and even had music. I rooted around in my drawer for a pair of earbuds then opened my door quietly and peeked out the hall before running over to the stairwell and making my way die to floor level. I snuck out the back of the building and made my way to the woods behind the apartment complex. There were a few trails in the forest and I started down one of them. At first, I only walked, twiddling with the key Steve had given me earlier two weeks ago, remembering the conversation that ensued after that.

•|•

He had walked up to me after some meeting called by Tony concerning the new Avengers tower.

"Hey," he said giving me a quick hug. "Haven't see you in a while. You doing okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah fine; it's just that they just moved me into another room, the apartments. I'm getting settled kind of, I guess." He'd nodded and fiddled with his hands.

"Um, this is for you." He handed me a silver key on a small key ring which held a tag that read, "2 N Main Str Brooklyn". I flipped the tag over and saw "Down main, left at Don's TV's".

"Steve, I'm flattered but… I'm not interested in you in that way." I was taken aback. Was I leading him on?

"Huh? Oh! No, no. Sorry I didn't mean it like that. I just… When I first started to live under SHIELD, I was restless. Not only was it the first time I'd really lived anywhere for a while, but I wasn't really doing anything. I would just sit around reading or exercise. I'd run a lot, not really to anywhere or from anything, just moving. I couldn't sit and think about… everything, ya know? So I'd run through woods and just push myself until I couldn't breathe. Then I'd go back. I just, I remember wishing I had some place to run to, a place I could… hide I guess. A safe house if you will. And, well, you don't seem like someone who and sit around. You seem like a runner. And if you do need to run," He pointed to the key. "Run here."

I had nodded and tucked the key into my pocket. "Thank you. I will."

•|•

I had already visited him three times in the past two weeks. I'd left enough stuff over there that he'd given me the second bedroom. I paused to put in my earbuds and began to blast Kansas, my favorite band. I then picked up my pace and ran, not really sure if I'd go to Steve's or not, I just needed to feel the cold air in my lungs and move. I ran through a few paths in the woods, jumping logs and creeks until I was exhausted. I sat on a fallen tree and caught my breath, then ran again. I had just turned a sharp corner when I nearly ran into something. I yelped in surprise at a small golden retriever puppy, happily wagging its tail. I peered closer at his face and saw he had one pale blue eye and another chocolate brown.

"Hey. Hey blue-eye…" I crooned, reaching out my hand. "Hey buddy. What's your name? Huh?" I reached for his collar only to find he didn't have one. "Oh. Well, listen dude, you gotta go home. I can't take a are of a dog; I can barely take care of myself." He looked at me expectantly. "No! I'm probably not even allowed pets. Go. Home!" I put my earbuds back in and began to run. After a minute or two, I noticed the pup was keeping up with me. After reaching the mile mark, I stopped and kneeled down again, where the little guy had rolled to his side. "So you like to run, huh? Yeah?" I rubbed his belly and scratched his head in spite of myself. He began to lick my and then climbed up my knees to lick my face. "Ew!" I laughed and shoved him off my face. "Listen, Blue, you may be cute, but there's no way I can-" My words were cut off by a loud ringing. My telecuff. I clicked answer and stood up, seeing a C and thinking it was for Captain America.

"Hey, I did not wear the right pants for running," I said yanking up my slipping stretchy pants.

"What? Madeleine?" Clint's voice came from my wrist.

"Aw crap! Stupid!" I smacked myself in the forehead. I should have figured it'd be Clint.

"Madeleine? Did you just call me stupid? And what was that about your pants?" I couldn't tell if he was amused or annoyed. Considering it was midnight, probably the latter.

"No! Sorry I was talking to… You know what? It doesn't matter? What do you need?"

"Natasha says she needs to talk to you. Where are you? I'm at your apartment."

"I'm out. Clint, can this wait? I'm busy." I glanced down at Blue, whose little front laws were propped against my leg. I rubbed his head.

"No it can't. Where are you? I'll come get you."

I growled. "Uhh, you know what? Do you know where Steve's house is?"

"No. Why? Do you?"

"It's 2 North Main Street. Go down Main and take a left at Don's TVs."

"Mad, why can't I just pick you up where you are?"

"See you at Steve's!" I called into the cuff.

"You know, I'm getting real sick of you foreign-" he started to say.

"You know you love us!" I hollered back and hung up. "Aright, Blue, we're going for a run." Blue waged his tail happily and stood up. I smiled despite myself. "Let's go little guy."

Thankfully , North Main was only a couple miles and we made it there in less than a half hour. I pulled out my key and jammed it into the lock and turned it the wrong way. It broke off in the hole. "You've got to be kidding me!" I scooped up Blue and banged on the door, to which Blue began to bark. "Steve! Steve! It's Maddie! Open up!"

"Maddie?" He said, voice fuzzy with sleep, as he opened the door. "I gave you a key so this wouldn't happen?" I barged in and set Blue the floor, where he promptly peed. "Why is there a dog peeing on my floor at twelve thirty in the morning?"

"I'll clean that up." I moved to the bathroom but Steve grabbed my arm.

"What happened to your key? Did you lose it? Why are you rushing around? And where did you find the dog?"

"Steve, I know you're elderly, but get with it. I broke the key in your lock when I turned it the wrong way. The dog's name is Blue; I found him while out running. I'm rushing because Clint's gonna be here in ten minutes to take me to talk to Nat. Now I gotta take a shower. Make some coffee, yeah?" I left for a shower and a change of clothes. Seven minutes later, I came back into the apartment to find Steve happily rolling a ball back and forth with Blue.

"Coffee's in a to go cup with team and sugar," he said, not looking up from his game.

I peered out the window to see a black convertible and Clint looking pissed from the window. "Got to go. CliInt's waiting. Feed Blue, would you?"

"Bye." Steve picked up Blue. "I always wanted a dog."

I smiled. "See you." I hurried down to the car and sat in the pass get seat. "Good morning, Clint." I sipped my coffee and looked over at him. "I thought this was urgent. You want to start driving?"

"I hate you. You know that? I pull so many strings I break a finger and there you are sipping coffee and me playing chauffeur." He pulled out and screeched out of the road.

We arrived back at SHIELD within the hour, but it wasn't the SHIELD headquarters but their private establishments for agents.

"I didn't know SHIELD had houses for you guys," I remarked, peering out my window.

"Yeah, they're pretty nice. But you have to be okay with SHIELD in your backyard, which Steve and some others are not."

I nodded. "Which is Natasha's?" Clint smiled.

"You'll know."

There was an end in the normal row of town houses then, after about half a mile there was a lone house. "That wouldn't hers would it?" I asked sarcastically.

"You are so perceptive." Clint pulled I tithe drive and hopped about. I drained my cup and followed him. He walked in without hesitation while I paused before making my way into the home. Natasha was sitting at her dining room table, a blueprint covering the table, one corner being held down by a coffee pot, a knife stabbed into the table to hold the other. She had a pencil in her hand and was chewing on one end. She looked up when we walked in.

"What do you got for us?" Clint grabbed a mug from a cabinet and lured himself coffee and added some creamer.

Natasha stood up and looked at me. "I'll do it."


	6. Chapter 6

***Okay so real fast, so sorry, but I'm basing Clint more off of the Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon comics, not the movie one, so he does not have a family.***

"What?" I laughed in disbelief. "You mean you were serious about helping me?"

Clint gestured, mimicking offense. "I said I was going to! What, you don't trust me?"

"You did threaten to kill my boyfriend."

"I was kidding around! We're pals now, you saw that."

Natasha was watching this exchange with amusement. "Clint's been trying to convince me to help. I finally said yes. We figured you wanted to know as soon as possible. So here we are."

I nodded excitedly and sat down across from Nat. "How can I help?"

"You can't." Clint brought over two more cups of coffee and handed us each one, tossing sugar and pouring some creamer into Nat's before handing me mine. I said thanks before fixing it for myself. "Why not? I want to!"

"Because Fury would expect you, Pietro, or Wanda to try, not so much Nat or I."

Natasha nodded. "I've had some experience and I'd like to think I'm pretty good. I don't need help and if I do, I can get it from Clint. I'm good, it is yet to be decided if you are. And if you come and screw up the whole thing-"

I tried to protest but she held up a finger.

"We got this. You are not coming. You are a liability. That's that." She sipped her coffee.

"Plus," Clint added. "we want to read your file."

"That, too." Nat agreed.

I looked from one to the other, Natasha twirling another knife (I don't know where she got it from) at the kitchen table, and Clint leaning against the counter. "I could just tell you."

"Nah. This it'll be our fee.." Clint drained his mug and placed in this sink.

I scoffed and shook my head. "Alright. When's this happening?"

"In two days." Nat polished off her drink and tossed her mug to Clint without looking and he caught it deftly and placed it in the sink with his own. "Be in the main building by nine in the morning."

"During the day?" I was incredulous. "Won't Fury be there?"

"He's debriefing the agents who worked in the Battle of Sokovia and has some meeting with Stark about the new Avengers tower. After that, you're requesting lunch with him. Make it run long. We'll need as much time as you can given us." Clint came over to the table as he talked and leaned over the blueprint, and, grabbing a pencil, circled a square. "This is Fury's office." He starred a corner. "There's his cabinet. Nat and I will disable all the alarms and whatnot and get the files. Your job is to keep Fury at lunch. Be yourself." He shook his head. "I know SHIELD isn't your favorite place and so does Fury. Interrogate the guy. Be distrustful. Nat and I should be able to be in and out before you two finish lunch but best to keep him talking."

I nodded. "How do you two plan on getting in and all that when his front wall is glass and he has, like, seventeen alarms just in his door and you don't have the key to his cabinet?"

Nat slammed her knife into the table. I jumped, thinking she was mad, and winced, putting my arms up to protect my face for half a second before remembering where I was. Clint and Natasha stared at me for a second then glanced at each other and went back to the subject at hand. "Clint and I have some experience at this, if you'll remember. And we're not going to tell you everything in case Fury questions you."

I nodded silently, still embarrassed from my actions earlier.

Clint stood up and crossed his arms. "So, Thursday at nine. Be there. Find some excuse; get Steve to practice fighting with you. But make sure you get to Fury before he goes back to his office after the meeting with Tony."

"And all your issues with SHIELD? Save them for Thursday," Natasha said.

"Sounds good. So what now?" I asked.

Clint pointed to the door. "You go home and sleep and keep quiet about Thursday to Rogers. Got it?"

I stood up. "You're my ride."

He sighed and grabs his keys. "I'll be back to talk logistics," he said to Natasha. She nodded. "Let's go, Mad."

I thanked Nat and followed out to his car. We drove in silence for a few minutes, then: "What happens if we get caught?"

"We won't get caught." Clint didn't even hesitate or look at me.

"But theoretically."

"I'm not even sure. We've never been caught before."

"Thank you for doing this."

"I saw how you flinched in there. You don't need to be nervous or on edge or anything." Clint glanced at me.

"I'm not. I've done this before."

Clint laughed. "Yes! The whole document desecration when you were younger and all that."

I nodded. "It wasn't that hard. The Russian and French governments are idiots."

Clint looked sharply at me. "Come on, kid you can't say those things."

"Why? I were thirteen and free as a bird! I didn't exist for a while there. Then I met up with Pietro and Wanda and we had a grand old time. Until Strucker and SHIELD and Ultron came along."

Clint shook his head. "First off, you have superpowers. The world's stuck playing catch-up with you and your boyfriend and his sister, sweetheart. Many of them have no clue as to as to you and your abilities. Those who do know about superheroes and villains are in no way able to help you unless they have SHIELD with them. Second, I know what it's like to disappear. You're not fooling anyone. It's sucks big time. And you know what's worse? Knowing that the only people looking for you are the bad guys. Knowing that there is no one left who loves you enough to look for you. That sucks, kid. I know it does."

I shook my head. "You know nothing about my life and you never will. Maybe for you it sucked but for me it was the best couple of years of my life. So until you understand what my life was like, shut up."

Clint pulled up at Steve's house and looked over at me. "You know I get why you hate SHIELD. I understand that. And me? Natasha? Steve? We've all been where you are so maybe you should get a clue and listen to us."

"I'm not like you guys in the slightest. You'll understand that on Thursday, though, I guess." I got out of the car, but before I could shut the door, Clint spoke.

"We may disagree, but in two days? You and I have to put it behind us and get along, got it?"

I nodded. "Thanks for the ride."

•|•

I walked in to find Steve stretched on the couch with Blue splayed out on his stomach and the TV on. Both were asleep. I smiled and petted Blue; he yawned, displaying tiny, sharp teeth. He stretched and made his way to Steve's arm, where he nestled in between his arm and the couch. I grabbed a blanket and laid it over the two of them before turning off the TV and walking over to my room. I opened the door and flopped onto my bed and kicked the door shut as softly as I could.

My room at Steve's wasn't very big or special. It was average size with light blue walls and pale yellow curtains framing a window that looked down over North Main Street. My bed was the first thing you walked in upon, the headboard pushed against the wall across from the door, directly under the window. A lamp, a Bible, and a notebook and pen were resting on a bedside table to the left of the bed There was a wood dresser against the wall to the right of the door, the top drawer half full of my things and an alarm clock resting on it. My house at SHIELD was about the same in the way that neither place had many knick-knacks or personal items. Steve had promised to never go in my room, something about being improper or disrespectful, but there was nothing in there, really, so I didn't care. I told him that, and now my bed was always made and floor vacuumed.

I kicked my sneakers off and let them fall to the floor and draped under the blankets, where I promptly fell asleep.

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock buzzing angrily and yipping from the other side of my door. I hoisted myself out of bed with a groan, and slammed the clock with a short burst of electricity. It flew back against the wall, bounced off and onto the floor, and laid smoking and battered. It's beating was furthered when my door flew open and smashed it against the wall. Steve stood in my doorway while Blue charged my bed and, somehow, kept onto my bed where he sat on my chest and licked my face.

"Morning, Maddie," he said.

"What time is it?" I asked.

He looked for my clock only to see it laying broken on the floor. "Again? I'll buy a new one today. It's eight. I've got eggs and bacon for breakfast."

I nodded. "Let me take a shower and get dressed, kay?" I grabbed some clothes from my drawer and headed for the single bathroom. A couple minutes later I emerged, propelled to the kitchen by the delicious smells. Steve's meals were delicious, and I was very thankful, but I wasn't too fond of his health-nut tendencies. I sat down in a bar stool and grabbed the coffee pot and a mug. I poured myself coffee and creamer, and Steve slid a plate of eggs, bacon, fruit, and rye toast. I grabbed the salt and generously salted my food. Next came the butter, spread thick on the toast.

"I think you've got more butter than bread there, Maddie." Steve leaned against the counter. He handed me a glass of milk and some pills from the hospital.

"Ugh." I gulped down the pills. "Steve, thank you, but I sometimes I just want a doughnut."

"Your welcome. But doughnuts are desserts. Not breakfast food."

I shoveled my eggs into my mouth, then split my bacon into pieces and tuck it on my toast. "This conversation is not over. But I have to go back to my apartment. Feed Blue, will ya?" He nodded.

"I'm setting up an appointment for him at the vet's. Thursday work for you?" He ate a piece of bacon and looked at me expectantly.

"Uhh… I was actually hoping we could head to SHIELD headquarters. Train some. Maybe do a little mock fighting," I said, remembering Clint's advice. "How about a doctor's visit Wednesday? Tomorrow."

Steve nodded slowly. "Sure. I have to do some shopping for him anyway; get some toys and food and bowls. Then Thursday we'll train."

I drained my mug of coffee and stood up. "Great. And I can take him to the vet's. Does your apartment complex allow pets? What am I talking about? If it didn't you could just buy it." He laughed and I said goodbye. I caught a cab back to SHIELD and went to my apartment before heading to Pietro's room, where I spent the day with him and Wanda. I didn't tell them about Clint, Nat, and mine plan; they wouldn't agree with it, neither of us would change our minds and it would only cause a rift.

The next day, I took Blue to the vets for shots and medicine, then spent the day playing with him taking him for runs. I found out he was four months old and was not registered in any veterinary clinic in New York. I left Blue at Steve's apartment and headed home. I was nervous, excited for tomorrow but also dreading it a little too. Fury had helped me, but I still believed that he (nor anyone else) had any right to know about me unless I told them. I got a call around nine at night. Nat was calling to make sure everything was set for tomorrow.

"Don't worry about it. You've got the easy job." She was eating something. "Clint and I have the hard part. Get some sleep, Mad."

I had just changed into my pjs when I got another call. "Madeline."

"Hey Mads." Steve. "So I'll meet you in the training room at nine tomorrow?"

"Yeah sounds good. I left you a note about Blue's sits and whatnot."

"I got it. I'm meeting with Sam for lunch. Hope you don't mind me ditching you. You remember Sam right?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. The Falcon, right? You guys discussing your quote unquote missing person's case?" I confirmed.

"Yes we are. I think we may have a lead that'll take us overseas for a while. But are we good with lunch?" Steve sounded excited about the lead. He'd told me a bit about his friend Bucky, how he was practically his brother and about his death and then how he wasn't dead. I was glad his search was going well.

"Yes, everything is good. I'll see you tomorrow." I hung up and went to bed, urging tomorrow to come.


	7. Chapter 7

*****OKAY I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED IT'S BEEN REALLY BUSY AND HARD WITH SCHOOL BUT I'M BACK*****

I stared at the ceiling, trying to sleep and failing miserably. I sighed and rolled to my side, pondering tomorrow's mission. I wasn't worried per say, just anxious to know what SHIELD has on me. I got up and headed to the bathroom. Pulling open the mirror door, I grabbed a bottle of aspirin. Upon opening it, I shook a pink, very non-aspirin pill into my palm before swallowing it dry. I made my way back to bed and leaned back. The pill was harmless enough, a sleeping pill, but I wasn't allowed anything that SHIELD didn't subscribe to me. So Steve got me over the counter sleeping medicine for my nightmares after the battle. Within minutes, I was asleep.

Four hours later I was rudely awakened by an annoying beeping sound. My alarm clock. I smacked the alarm clock and it shut off abruptly. I opened one sleepy eye to see a bright red seven glaring back at me from the screen. I got up with a groan and showered and got dressed before heading to the SHIELD cafeteria for breakfast. I went to visit Pietro and Wanda, but Wanda was asleep and Pietro was having some tests being run on him so I went straight to the training room. Steve wasn't there yet so I changed and waited by one of the padded fighting rooms, wrapping my hands while keeping an eye out for Steve. He showed up a few minutes later.

"Hey. You're late." I handed Steve the wrap and he began winding it around his own fists.

"Yeah sorry, I wanted to walk Blue first." He placed his palm onto a glass panel before gesturing for me to do the same. I did and my picture, along with my security level flashed on the screen.

"Guess I can't blame you for taking care of the dog I made you take in." He laughed and we took our positions before beginning to fight. It was eleven thirty when we finally took a break, both breathing heavily, each wincing. While Steve had pulled his punches and I refrained from using the majority of my power, the fight had gotten a tad heated.

"So, you want to go grab something to eat? I'm starving." Steve wrapped a towel around his neck and tossed me a water bottle.

I gulped down water before replying, choosing my words carefully. "I don't think so. I was hoping to talk to Fury about SHIELD and better… understand who I'm working for. If I'm going to work for them."

Steve looked at me thoughtfully. "So you're going to agree to work with SHIELD? I think someone owes me money."

I laughed. "I don't know. I might; I need a job and SHIELD has dental. I just need to get some answers."

"Okay. Well, tell me about it after. Should be interesting."

I nodded and we went our separate ways; he went home and I hit the showers before hunting down Fury. I found him just outside his office, locking up before leaving.

"Ms. Baton. What a surprise."

"Director. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second. I have some questions about SHIELD and I need to get some answers." I began to walk with him, matching his pace.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Please? Over lunch?" I stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop.

Fury sighed, glanced at his watch, then back at me. "Fine, but not too long. I have a meeting to get to."

I smiled. "I ask only for your honesty." We went to the cafeteria, grabbed food and sat down at a table.

"So, Ms. Baton- what can I do for you?" Neither Fury nor I had touched the food.

"What is SHIELD?" I asked.

"We are an organization designed to help the world handle things it… cannot handle. We explain away the unexplainable, take care of the unknowns, or at least try and make sense of them. Why?" Fury seemed unruffled.

"You've been asking me to help you. I want to know exactly who I am helping and what they're motives are." I speared lettuce from my salad and waited for his response.

"Our motives are completely pure. The world is not ready for people like you and-"

"People like me? You mean freaks?" I shot at him.

"I mean people with inexplicable powers that others do not possess or understand. I mean people we can't explain." He looked at me curiously. "Why would you say freaks?"

I waved his question away and continued my interrogation. After several minutes of sparring over SHIELD and its motives, as well as my role in SHIELD, Fury stood up.

"This has been, as always, a joy, Ms. Baton, but I have a meeting to get to. I'm sure we will talk again soon."

"Thank you for your time, Director." I finished my drink and tossed my trash away before checking my watch. I had given Nat and Clint about half an hour. Hopefully that'd be enough.

•|•

I had several hours before meeting Clint and Natasha, so I went to Pietro's room to see if he was free to talk. I found him lying in bed, watching the news.

"Hey." I shut the door behind me and made my way over to his bedside. At his prompting, I laid down next to him on the hospital bed. "How are you feeling?"

He smiled at me. "I'm okay, getting better. The doctor said I should be able to walk again soon."

"Walk? What happened to running? Where's my Quicksilver?" I teased. We both knew that for him, walking meant running.

"Your Quicksilver?" He leaned in close, lips brushing my cheek. "I belong to no one." He kissed my cheek softly.

"Is that so?" I pulled away as he went for my lips and he looked at me, his face one of confused hurt, before he realized I was messing with him. He smiled at me slyly before pulling me closer to kiss me again. I laughed and rested my head on his chest and we watched the news play across the screen.

"Hey!" I sat up and pointed at the screen. "I know him." It was footage of Steve ushering people onto a helicarrier while evacuating Sokovia.

"And I know her." Pietro also gestured to the screen, which showed me carrying a young girl to her mother. "She's the girl one girl that stole from me and got away with it."

I looked down at him. "What do you mean?"

"I want my heart back, thief." I laughed laid back down and together we fell asleep. I didn't wake up until I felt my telecuff buzz. I looked down to see Natasha flashing on my wrist. I jumped up, waking Pietro, who had also fallen asleep. "What's wrong?"

"What time is it? Doesn't matter, I've got to go." I grabbed my jacket, which I had thrown onto one of the chairs.

"Why? What's wrong?" Pietro sat up slowly.

"I'm having dinner with Nat and Clint, and I'm already late," I replied.

"Oh. Well then I will see you later." I promised to visit again tomorrow and kissed him goodbye before leaving.

I met Clint and Nat in some cafe off of Main Street, too close to Steve's apartment for me to be entirely comfortable. They looked at each other before Clint pulled a manila folder labeled BARON, MADELEINE: SPECIAL CASE 271. He slipped it to me over the table and I took it from him quickly.

"So, everything went well then?" I asked taking a sip from the water a waitress brought us.

"Yeah, pretty basic. Get in, get out. Nothing we haven't done before." Natasha shrugged and cracked her knuckles restlessly. She shared a look with Clint before they turned back to me.

"...What?" I asked hesitantly.

"Nothing," Clint said. "But... having read your file, you're a pretty sick kid."

"Like, mentally or being amazing?"

"Yes" was the unanimous reply.

"Ha ha." I laughed sarcastically. "But seriously, thank you for this." I gestured to the folder. "You don't know what it means to me. Do I owe you something?"

Again, Clint and Nat shared a look. "Yeah." Nat said. "Answers."

"What?" I looked back and forth between the two.

"Your entire life is in the folder." Clint nodded at it. "We've both read it and yet there's one thing missing. The death of your parents and how you got your abilities."

I swallowed hard. "You can't convince me SHIELD didn't figure out about them, about their work."

"Your parents aren't even mentioned." Nat drank some water, not taking her eyes off of me.

I sighed, and rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands, keeping my head in my hands while talking. "My mother and father were French scientists, brilliant for all their flaws. They worked on the human body, specifically, the skeleton. I was their only child, and, to be honest, a mistake; they made that very clear over the years. My parents' benefactors weren't seeing results or their money being put to good use. They began to pull out, even though my parents swore that, with a human test subject, they could produce results."

"Results to what?" Clint demanded.

"They wanted to develop a way to keep the cells that form bones from getting cancer. They thought that inserting the bones with implants that sent out electrical impulses would keep the cancer from growing. All of their theories made sense, but when they tried on animal test subjects, the skeletons were too weak to withstand the electrical impulses, and all died. So my parents took matters into their own hands. I was five when all this was happening. My parents were desperate, and they were so sure that they were right. I don't blame them; I know they did what they thought was right. They implanted the electrical impulses in me." I sighed and spread my arms, gesturing to myself. "Obviously it didn't work."

"And their death?" asked Nat.

I tried to speak several times before I finally could. "I... could not control my powers for quite some time after the surgery, even when it seemed I was fine." I paused, struggling to go on.

"You were abused, weren't you?" Nat asked quietly. Though it was framed as a question we both knew it was a statement.

"He hit me. I don't even know why. My response was just impulsive. I didn't even think. I grabbed his arm and... Then when my mother came and saw what I'd done she tried to kill me. Said I was too dangerous for this world and I had to go. That time it wasn't an accident. It was survival. And I'll never forgive myself for it. After that, I was sent to an orphanage. I ran away, met Pietro and Wanda and you know the rest." I wiped my eyes. I hadn't realized I'd been crying. "If you care about what happens to me at all, you won't ever tell anyone about it."

Nat stood up. "Don't know if I care about you, but I do respect you."

Clint joined her. "And that means a lot more. Your secret's safe with us, Kid. We'll see you around, I'm sure."


	8. Chapter 8

The folder had nearly everything about me in it and it took me weeks to get through it all. It wasn't there was a huge amount of content; the folder contained many little things about me, things like my birthday, with no one knew, not even Pietro and Wanda. It took me so long because every time one of those hidden details came out, every time a little more of me was learned, I needed to stop, to step away, because it meant that everything I had intended and worked for was, in a word, worthless. It was all for naught and I could just feel my heart splinter as I read. I stopped talking to Steve, Clint, even Pietro and Wanda. I couldn't put into words what I felt and to try and explain that was too… painful. So I went through the motions, eating whether I was hungry or not, smiling when every part of me wanted to break down. My life seemed to stop after receiving the folder; the world went on by I didn't. And I hated it. I felt trapped in my own life with no way out and no clue how to move on.

When my parents died, I could go on well enough. No one knew about me, about what happened except me, and I could forget my past. I could push it away until I almost forgot it but SHIELD brought it all back. And I couldn't stand it. Finally, after three weeks of sullen, empty acts, Steve confronted me. He was waiting for me at my apartment, and I tried to excuse myself to get out of talking to him, but he stopped me.

"You've been avoiding me, Madi. And I asked Clint, Pietro, Nat, all of them said the same thing. You haven't been yourself. So what's up? You can tell me."

"Nothing. It's just been hard to adapt to the new life," I lied.

"That's not true. C'mon Madi," Steve pressed.

"Please Steve, I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"You can trust me."

"Just stop! You don't understand!" I slammed my palms on the counter. Steve backed away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No. No, I get it, it's okay. I shouldn't have pressed the issue. If you need me you know where to find me." He let himself out, despite my calling out for him.

"I'm sorry." But the door shut behind him before the words could reach him.

I was called to Fury's office a few days later. "Ms. Baton. Thank you for coming." He gestured for me to sit down and I accepted. "As you may have heard, despite our greatest attempts otherwise, one of Ultron's robots still survives. We don't know how this has happened, just that it is necessary to nip this in the bud."

I hadn't heard, and as terrible as it sounds, I didn't care. I opened my mouth to tell Fury just how little I cared, when he raised his hand, signaling me to wait until he was finished.

"That's where you come in. You, as well as the Maximoffs, are no longer renegades. You gave that up when you helped at the Battle of Sokovia. You are a part of SHIELD now, whether you like it or not."

I stood up, fire in my veins. "No. No, see that's not how the world works. I am not some chess piece to be pushed around, sent here and there to fight your battles for you. I never will be. I will never relate with SHIELD."

"What is your problem with SHIELD, Ms. Baton?" Fury remained seated, but I could hear in his voice his temper. "We are here to help people. What is so wrong with that?"

"Maybe people don't want help. Did you ever think of that? Did you ever think of being honest with them, telling them the truth and letting them decide what path they will take? It seems to me SHIELD is just another Nanny State, covering the people's eyes when something scary happens so they don't get nightmares. Well, maybe they deserve nightmares! Maybe they deserve to know what's out there, but they don't get that option! And that is wrong! You pretend to care about freedom, to promote it even, but you don't let the people decide what they want. How is that freedom?" With that, I sat down, my tirade momentarily over.

"So we should let people die of alien attacks or monsters from their worst nightmares? We should stand by and do nothing?" He countered.

"There is a huge difference between doing nothing and letting people decide what they want. Who actually knows the truth about the world they live in?"

"They aren't prepared to know."

"How do you know that if you don't let them try?"

"This is not the subject at hand, Ms. Baton. Let's table this for now, alright? To what I was previously saying, SHIELD has invested time and money in both you and the Maximoffs, so you can either pay your hospital and rental bills or help us."

"So you're blackmailing us."

"How about this: you help us now. You do what we ask, as a trial run per se, and we'll go from there."

"And everything we owe you will be paid?"

"You have my word. Though apparently that means very little to you."

Ignoring his comment, I pondered his proposal. "I'll have to talk to Pietro and Wanda first. Before I agree."

"Pietro has already agreed to help us. However, Wanda can not come; she can barely walk and that's not going to work." Fury stood up, signifying the conversation was over. "You have three days before you have to decide. Take some time, think about it. I need to know by Tuesday." He showed me out. I marched down several flights of stairs and hallways until I was in the medical ward, and I burst into Pietro's room.

"Madi! Guess what? I-" I cut Pietro short. He'd been talking with a nurse, but she left once I entered.

"Why'd you say yes? What are we supposed to do now? What were you thinking? That's… what were you... how could you ever do that to me?" I yelled, screamed, my heart ripped with pain at the thought of his betrayal.

Pietro looked down quietly, letting me finish before saying, "I did what I thought was best. SHIELD is here to help, not hurt. They aren't like the other people, those who don't care, just attack and try to snuff out people like us. I know it's hard to trust after what's happened, do you think I like the prospect of working with Tony Stark?"

"You like it enough to act on it," I accused him.

"But Madi, someone is in danger. If we can help them, isn't that more important than whether we agree with the force who is instructing us? Isn't it better to do what's right despite the supporting cause?"

"You didn't even tell me." I was quiet.

"I wasn't supposed to; Fury asked me not to so he could talk to you first. I didn't really have a choice. I would have told you, but I did think it might be best if he talked to you first, so there'd be no misunderstandings or anything."

"You didn't even tell me. The promise was always to be honest, no matter what. And you broke it and I don't know what I'm supposed to do know. I just…" I rubbed my face. "I can't be around you right now." With that, I left, making my way to the elevator. I hit the ground floor, pressing my back against the wall, trying to think of what to do. I headed back to my apartment and changed into running clothes, grabbed earbuds and my iPod, and went for a run on the wood trails. I ran until I was exhausted and I couldn't breathe. Running helped; it let me grow so tired I couldn't think and could forget what was going on. But even now it wasn't working. I jogged into town to a familiar door. I hesitated before knocking, struggling to swallow my pride. When he didn't answer I called out. It felt wrong to use the key he'd given me after not trusting him. "Steve? Steve, I'm sorry. Please, I need to talk to you."

After a minute or two, Steve opened the door. "Madi, hey. What's up?" He let me in, made me coffee and sat me down. I explained the last couple of weeks to him, even the folder, though not who helped me get it. I finished breathlessly, saying, "I'm sorry I was a jerk."

"No, no it's okay. I get it. It's really hard right now for you. But I'm glad you came to me when you did. I might actually be able to help." He rubbed the back of his neck and bit his lip. "I remember when I found out all about SHIELD, and then when I found out that I still didn't, and never would, know all about SHIELD. It seems like all that knowledge, all that power, in the hands of corruptible men can only seem to be misused. It goes against everything I believe in to work with people like them. So I get it. But I think it's about picking our battles. Fury knows that whenever he wants something from me, whatever mission he has for me, I know everything about it. No hidden agendas or ulterior motives, just the facts. And if it's not something I agree with I won't do it. I've found that while there are times SHIELD and I don't agree, there are, in turn, times we do. Those times, the times I know I'm doing good, make me proud to be a part of something bigger than me. No, they aren't always good, but the times they give me hope." He shrugged. "I'm given the opportunity to do good here, even if SHIELD's motives aren't entirely pure. Maybe I can make the good a little more frequent. I don't know, Mads, but do what you know is right, do what lets you sleep at night, okay?"

"I don't know if SHIELD is right, but I don't have a choice anymore. I'm indebted to them, and so is Pietro and Wanda. They've got a lot on me, so what do I do? How to I help them and still sleep at night?" It was a valid question.

"What did Fury ask of you?"

"He said one of Ultron's robots was still alive. He said he needed me and Pietro to find it and take it down. It's good, right? I mean, to do, but I don't want to become Fury's b-"

"Madi!" Steve cut me off.

"Sorry. Pardon my French." Steve smiled despite himself at my joke.

"Madi, if it's right, if it's good… do it. Something tells me Fury has no intention of anything of that sort. He's talked to you, so he knows you aren't one to roll over when told to." I smiled.

"Thanks." I downed my coffee and stood up. "I should go apologize to Pietro. I was a major jerk. I'll see you later, kay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You'll be leaving soon, but tell me first. I'd like to say goodbye." He gave me a hug and, after a receiving a shower of kisses from Blue, left.

Despite the soft rain, I chose to jog back to SHIELD. I slipped from Main Street into a nearby park, slipping quietly into the woods skirting it. As I ran, I could hear the rain slipping from leaves, hitting the ground softly and making puddles all around me. I couldn't believe how incredibly lucky I was to have met Steve. He gave me the kind of home I'd never had not even with Pietro and Wanda. I loved Pietro, and that made our situation less familial. With Steve, I felt safe in a way I never had before. It was like having an older brother, but better than that. He didn't make me feel small or weak and he didn't belittle me. Being around him gave me peace and comfort. I loved him in the purest way, where we could sit in silence for hours and just be happy. And I was so glad I'd finally found that.

Too soon I'd reached SHIELD and was swiping my ID card at the entrance to Pietro's building. As I made my way up the steps, I quietly rehearsed my apology, knowing that it would all fly out of my head the moment I saw him. As I reached his door, I swallowed hard and knocked before pushing the door open gently. He sat up as soon as he saw me.

"Madi!" He spoke softly. "I was hoping you'd come by. Look, I know I should've spoken to you or waited till you knew or something. I didn't handle it the right-"

"Pietro, you were in the right. I blew up at you and lost it and I'm not mad at you. You did what was best despite because you saw clearly what could happen if you didn't and I was the problem. I was blind and… and selfish." I sat down next to him. "I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven. I know it's hard; I wanted to talk to you about it. I just couldn't. And you and I both know we can't cover the bills on our own. We not only need this, but it's the right thing to do." He cupped my face in his hand. "Maybe we should start helping the good guys. Even if we don't always agree with them. I want to do the right thing here; I want to help people."

I smiled at him. "I do too." He dropped his hand and instead picked up my hand, rubbing his thumb thoughtfully across my bruised and scabbed knuckles. "I should tell Fury my decision." He nodded quietly, but nearly jumped up, as if remembering something.

"They cleared me for an apartment! I almost forgot to tell you! It'll be in the wing closest to the hospital, in case of any emergencies, but I can start running again." I smiled as he spoke quickly and eagerly of his rehabilitation, sometimes slipping into Russian in his haste. After an hour or so a nurse came to give him meds and check his vitals, sending me away to find Fury.


End file.
